🗡️ Penniless Pilgrim 🏛️
From TED Riddle to Interactive Game
What started as a fascinating mathematical puzzle from a TED-Ed video became a fully interactive game, brought to life through the power of Amazon Q Developer CLI. Experience the journey from concept to code!
🎮 Play Now📺 The Origin Story
🧩 It All Started with a Riddle
The Penniless Pilgrim puzzle originated from a captivating TED-Ed riddle video. The challenge: navigate a 5×5 grid from corner to corner while following specific tax rules for each direction.
The Rules:
🧭 North: Divine blessing - Tax ÷ 2
🏔️ South: Mountain toll - Tax × 2
🌅 East: Sunrise fee - Tax + 2
🌄 West: Sunset relief - Tax - 2
What made this puzzle special was its constraint: you can never travel the same street twice. This simple rule transforms a basic pathfinding problem into a complex strategic challenge.
The History
📆 A CLI Version
A few years ago I created a python script to run a CLI version of this game and even brute force a solution.
You can checkout the repo for the python version here
This served as a great source of context for using Amazon Q CLI. I just popped the python script into context and the game logic was all handled.
🎮 Game Versions
Built iteratively using Amazon Q Developer CLI, each version adds new features and improvements
🎯 Classic Version
The original implementation with clean UI, basic grid visualization, and core game mechanics.
Play Classic✨ Enhanced Version
Improved visuals, responsive design, collapsible sections, and better mobile experience.
Play Enhanced
⚡ Technology Stack
Every line of code generated through conversational AI development
🤖 Amazon Q Developer
AI-powered code generation and iterative development
🎮 Phaser.js
2D game framework for pixel art version with sprite animations
🎨 HTML5 Canvas
Custom grid rendering and interactive game visualization
💫 Modern CSS
Responsive design, animations, and beautiful UI components
🧮 JavaScript
Game logic, pathfinding algorithms, and interactive controls
🎯 Progressive Enhancement
From basic concept to fully-featured pixel art game
🚀 Development Journey
This project showcases the power of conversational AI development. Starting from a simple "Can you help me build the Penniless Pilgrim game?", Amazon Q Developer CLI guided the entire development process:
🔄 Iterative Development Process
- 1️⃣ Concept to Code: Transformed the TED riddle into interactive game logic
- 2️⃣ UI Enhancement: Added responsive design and improved user experience
- 3️⃣ Visual Upgrade: Integrated pixel art sprites and animations
- 4️⃣ Game Polish: Added directional movement and detailed tilesets
"From mathematical puzzle to playable game in hours, not days - that's the power of AI-assisted development!"